Cannabinoids are a class of chemicals that can act on cannabinoid receptors. Cannabinoid receptor ligands include endocannabinoids, which can be found naturally occurring in humans and other animals, phytocannabinoids, which can be found in cannabis and other plants, other plants, and lichens, and synthetic cannabinoids. Cannabinoids include tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), such as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, and cannabidiol (CBD). At least 85 different cannabinoids have been isolated from cannabis.
Cannabidiol (CBD) is a major phytocannabinoid considered to have a wide scope of medical applications. Cannabis plants produce CBD-carboxylic acid via the same metabolic pathway as THC, aside from the last step of the pathway, which for CBD is performed by CBDA synthase rather than THCA synthase.
Current cannabinoid compositions suffer from drawbacks limiting their utility for administration to subjects. Many cannabinoid compositions are destroyed, broken down, or cleared by the liver, resulting in reduced delivery to the subject. Many current cannabinoid compositions also have low bioavailability and shelf life stability.